Simply the best – the nominees for the red dot: grand prix

This week: in noticeably good shape – posters

The prospects for communication designers and advertising agencies are rosier now than they have been for a long time. Industry experts and institutes everywhere are reporting economic growth which is also sending impulses to the communication design industry. This upward trend will benefit in particular those creative artists who have focused on quality and on courage in the past months. This is because they made use of the opportunity to use strong ideas to set themselves apart from the competition. In the coming weeks, we want to present some of these designers and agencies to you. Their work stands out so clearly from the more than 6,000 entries to the red dot award: communication design 2010 that the jury has nominated them for a red dot: grand prix. This is the top individual award in the competition and is only awarded to a maximum of one entry in each category. The excitement will continue to mount until the award ceremony on 8 December 2010, however, as the winners of the red dot: grand prix are announced live on stage. In the meantime you can familiarize yourself with the entries and make your own mind up. We will introduce you to the nominees in a different category each week.

“Romeo & Juliet”, Beetroot Design Group, Greece

Showing initiative and treading new ground: it can be frustrating to have ideas that appear to be impossible to realize using traditional means. But they can also trigger new thought and creative processes that ultimately become the starting point for experimental projects. This is what happened with the “Romeo & Juliet” project by the Greek design studio Beetroot Design, which undertook none less of a venture than to finally unite one of history’s greatest tragic couples on one poster with the help of new technologies. The background is made up of Shakespeare’s tragedy, printed across the whole poster in small letters. The name Romeo comes up 308 times, while Juliet is mentioned a further 180 times. The Romeos and Julias are then joined together with red lines – a total of 55,440 times. The result is a huge red mark which, on closer inspection, reveals itself as a network of tiny lines. This self-started project visualizes its content, secret love with a fatal outcome, in a strikingly simple and impressive manner. The powerful red color used symbolizes the strong affection between the young lovers and the bloody end that they met. Even the jury members of the red dot award: communication design were taken by the depth of emotion conveyed by the message. They nominated the poster for a red dot: grand prix.

D66 Yes, G2K, Netherlands

Adopting a clear position – even outside of an election – is a rather unusual tactic for political parties, as they usually want to keep their statements as vague as possible. Not so with the Dutch social-liberal party D66. In recent months the party has repeatedly garnered attention using an original series of posters in Amsterdam. “Gay, Yes”, “Nightlife, Yes”, “Studying, Yes” – these were the statements used for “Gay Pride”, Amsterdam’s Culture Night and the start of the university semester. The messages are clear, concise and positive. The design of the posters, undertaken by the Dutch design agency G2K, is equally clear, concise and positive. Three simple horizontal blocks show the reason, the core message (“Yes”) and the name of the party behind the message, D66. The design is in line with the strict Corporate Identity rules of the party, which was founded in 1966. It is scarcely possible to convey the party’s position more concisely, or to find a more effective way to shape public opinion and shape the brand at the same time. The poster campaign got a clear “Yes” vote from the jury too, which has nominated the series for a red dot: grand prix.